Navotas City Guide

by Jose Marc Castro on August 15, 2007

Navotas is a coastal city located at the northwest portion of Metro Manila, the National Capital Region of the Philippines. The city is virtually an island, sprawled on a narrow stretch of land along the eastern shores of Manila Bay measuring a total of 10.77 km2, and surrounded by water on almost all sides. Two-thirds of this land area lies beneath the sea level, making it prone to floods during high tides and the rainy season. It is bordered to the south by the city of Manila, the municipality of Obando in Bulacan province to the north, Manila Bay to the west, and to the east by Malabon City. The most common means for transportation available in the city are buses, jeepneys, taxis, and tricycles.

Navotas is designated as “The Fishing Capital of the Philippines”, drawing fish traders and vendors from all over Metro Manila and surrounding regions to its fish port. This concentration on the fishing industry is due to its proximity to the sea and the city’s bounty of waterways that run in its eastern border. The rivers of Binuangan, Daang Cawayan, Dampalit, Batasan, Navotas, and the channels of Bangculasi, Malabon, and Estero de Maypajo have all contributed to the city’s title and its people’s livelihood. about 70% of its inhabitants draw their livelihood from fishing or other related industries, such as fish trading, fish net mending, and fish paste (bagoong) and fish sauce (patis) making.

Navotas was not originally surrounded with water. It was believed that the delta where the city is now located used to stretch continuously, linked by a narrow strip of land to the then province of Tondo in Manila. Over time, the sea eroded this weak, narrow strip and created a passageway that was to develop into the Navotas River. This prompted the locals to refer to this place as “nabutas” or “pierced through”, eventually referring to the whole locality as Navotas.

Many of the city’s middle and upper class families choose to live in these gated communities, which are usually referred to as subdivisions and villages. They offer better security as most are surrounded by a walled perimeter and guarded gates to provide limited access. Some of the city’s prominent gated communities are Kaunlaran Village, Ireneville Subdivision I, II, & III, Isla De Cocomo, and Kapitbahayan East.
III. Hospitals and Universities of Navotas

Navotas has two medical centers that provide its residents most general medical procedures. These are the St. Joseph Maternity and Medical Clinic and Navotas Emergency & Lying-In Clinic, which both stands on naval Street. As in any location in the Philippines, communication will not pose as a problem in these medical centers as English is commonly used as second or third language by Filipinos. Physicians are graduates of the Philippines many top medical schools, with most of them having pursued further studies and training in the United States. Nurses are equally the products of reputable medical and nursing schools. They are just as well-trained and qualified as the Filipino nurses working in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

To make up for the limited number of medical centers, the city government has put up several health centers to deliver to its constituents basic medical care. Several private clinics are also found in the city. Below is a table detailing the locations of the city’s medical and health centers:

The city’s sole tertiary educational institution is the city-owned Navotas Polytechnic College whose campus stands at the corner of Bangus and Apahap Streets. The college primarily offers IT-related courses.

To make up for the limited tertiary educational institutions in the city, many Navotas college students opt to commute and study at the numerous colleges and universities located in the neighboring cities of Manila, Caloocan, Valenzuela, and Quezon.

Commercial Places in Navotas

As the Fishing Capital of the Philippines, the most famous and busiest commercial center in the city is the Navotas Fish Port. Fish dealers and vendors from all over the metro flock to this port to purchase the freshest catch of seafood brought in by the city’s small- and large-scale fishermen.

Aside from the Navotas Fish Port, the city does not boast of any large, modern shopping centers that has been the most common trademark of most urban cities. It does however, have open-air public markets, such as the Agora Market, which also carries most common commodities and retail products. They are usually divided into the wet and dry sections. Found at the dry section are fruits, vegetables, canned products, rice, flour, spices, garments, footwear, and furniture. The wet section, on the other hand, houses the meat, fish, and poultry stalls.

The most common dining establishments found in the city are the prominent Filipino fastfood chains, such as burger joints Jollibee and McDonald’s, the pizzeria Greenwich, and the Chinese fastfood counter Chowking. For anyone who would truly want to be acquainted with a uniquely Filipino dining experience, the many carinderias found in the city are the best place to start. Reminiscent of the sidewalk street vendors of Vietnam, these street-side eateries serve most of the Filipino best-loved dishes at a fraction of the price.

Service Establishments of Navotas

The Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) is the sole distributor of electricity in Navotas. Formerly known as the Manila Electric Rail and Light Company, it currently holds a central franchise in 22 cities and 89 municipalities of which includes the areas of Metro and Mega Manila. Applications for service and bill payments may be done by visiting its Navotas extension office located at the Chow Queen Building on M. Naval Street.

The Philippine Long distance Telephone Company (PLDT) is the major telecom company that services the city. It provides traditional fixed telephony services and internet connection via dial-up and DSL. The nearest PLDT business office is located at the corner of Gen Luna and Ayroso Streets in Malabon City.

Smart Communications, together with Globe Telecom and Sun Cellular of Digitel Telecommunications, form the three major cellular network service providers in the Philippines. All three companies have a nation-wide coverage and offers either prepaid or postpaid subscriptions. Applications for postpaid subscriptions may be done by visiting their centers that are usually found in the metro’s major shopping centers. On the other hand, prepaid subscriptions simply require a SIM card which can be bought at their centers or at authorized dealers.

The Navotas city Police Station is the NCRPO Northern District’s third station. Under it are several sub-stations and police community precincts located in every Barangay to ensure the peace and orderliness in the city. Below is a table detailing their location and contact information: